StarBulletin.com

Couples left feeling beat


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POSTED: Monday, January 25, 2010

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii » After missing a 14-footer at the last to lose to Tom Watson by one, Fred Couples walked up to the scorer's tent and asked media members, “;Who won the football game?”;

At the time, the score was still tied as Andy North told Couples of Brett Favre's struggles in the late going of the NFC Championship Game. For Couples, who watched Watson go 30-30 on the back nine the last two days, it wasn't a case of losing. He just got beat.

“;Your boy shot 60 on the back nine the last two rounds,”; Couples said to North. “;He was 12 under. I didn't lose. He beat me.”;

Couples' 14-foot birdie putt at the last broke toward the ocean just before the hole. Tom Lehman and his wife were staring down the long, roped alley that led from the 18th green to the scorer's tent. She asked him what the putt was going to do and Lehman, who had a perfect read despite being 25 yards from the pin, told her it was going to go left at the hole.

Couples eyed it for several moments, dropping to his knees, studying it hard. He knew Watson had a 5-footer for birdie to break the tie and likely win the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai if he didn't make his birdie putt first. Couples played it basically straight and, as Lehman predicted, it broke at the hole.

“;I didn't lose; I thought I made the putt on 18 to be honest with you,”; Couples said. “;Not too many putts broke across the hole all week. And everyone keeps telling me ... but that one kind of did. I could have hit it a little harder, but I still hit a good putt.”;

Watson made his to win, going birdie-birdie over the last two holes. Still, Couples didn't appear to be too disappointed. He shot a final-round 64. Watson countered with a 65 to go 22-under 194. Couples finished at 21-under 195.

“;The last 20 minutes went the way a champion does it and Tom has won a lot of events,”; Couples said. “;He's one of my all-time favorites. Me beating him would have been a lot better than him beating me. But that's not the way it went.”;

Couples was trying to become the 16th Champions Tour player to win his inaugural event. Had Couples held off Watson down the stretch—he had a one-shot lead when they teed it up at the par-3 17th—he would have been the first golfer to win here the first time he played the Jack Nicklaus-designed course. But it wasn't meant to be.

“;I truly had a great time,”; Couples said. “;It was a great course for me. A great course for all of us. The last two holes, that was pretty fun to watch. I bailed out on 17. I figured let him try and make a birdie. He hit left of the flag and made a nice little putt.

“;At 18, he hit a nice drive that went through to the rough. From where he was, I knew he was going to hit a pretty good shot because he could have flown it and let it run up to the flag. And what a shot he hit. But for me, I had a wonderful time. I think I was 21 under par and didn't win a tournament. That hasn't happened to me too many times.”;

 

Shaking off the rust

The top four finishers at yesterday's first Champions Tour event of the season had one thing in common, they all played last week.

Couples and Watson were on Maui to take part in the Wendy's Champions Skins Game, and Michael Allen, who finished third at 18-under 198, and Lehman, who was fourth at 16-under 200, took part at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Lehman tied for 16th in the first full-field event on the PGA Tour and Allen was tied for 25th. All four agreed getting a week of competitive golf in their golf bags played a big part this week.

“;I know it helped me,”; Lehman said. “;You get a chance to shake off some of the rust and work on your game in competition, and that's a big advantage.”;

 

Irwin makes some magic

Unlike Watson, who won his first official event in Hawaii in 34 tries yesterday, Hale Irwin would need an accountant to tally all the money he has made in the 50th state in his career. A two-time winner at Hualalai, Irwin briefly made a charge in the early afternoon before closing with a 68 to finish fifth at 14-under 202.

Irwin hadn't had a top-10 finish in 41 consecutive events before turning that trick with a tie for sixth in the final tournament in San Antonio last year. Now, he has top-10 finishes in two consecutive tournaments, not bad for a man who will turn 65 in June.

 

Inside the numbers

The scoring average for yesterday's final round was 69.611 to drive the three-day cumulative total to 69.130. There were 19 rounds in the 60s, with only five rounds over par out of 36 golfers in this elite winners-only field.

The hardest hole was the par-3 fifth for a third straight day with a scoring average of 3.250, with one birdie, 27 pars, seven bogeys and one triple by Gary Player. The lone birdie was by Lehman, who had the only two birdies on the tough hole all week. The first time he played it on Friday, he had the other triple bogey.

The easiest hole was the par-5 10th, with a scoring average of 4.361. There was one eagle by Couples, 21 birdies and 14 pars.